1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electronic percussion synthesizer assemblies, and particularly to a novel structure for supporting the drum heads in such an assembly.
2. Prior Art
Electronic music instruments have been developed which generate sound entirely by electronic means. These devices, generally categorized as music synthesizers, generate electronic signals which are shaped and blended together to create different types of waveforms which can be amplified and played through conventional speakers to create different types of sounds.
Many of the earliest synthesizers, while capable of generating musical notes, could not be used to develop percussion rhythms in the same manner as they are developed using a conventional percussion instrument, the reason being most of the early synthesizers generally did not include a surface which may be struck in the manner of a percussion instrument to produce a percussion beat.
Various devices have recently been marketed which are capable of synthesizing the sounds of percussion instruments, such as drums. These devices include sound generating circuits which are responsive to analog pulses for generating sounds corresponding to the sounds of percussion instruments, with the amplitude of the sound generated being proportional to the amplitude of the analog pulse. Furthermore, these electronic percussion synthesizers include surfaces which may be struck with a drum stick for generating the analog pulses.
One example of an electronic percussion synthesizer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,412. This patent describes an electronic percussion synthesizer which includes a plurality of pressure transducers, each representing a different percussion musical instrument. Each transducer is responsive to an external striking force for generating analog pulses, each pulse representing one beat of the respective musical instrument.
Most conventional electronic percussion synthesizers do not permit the adjustment of the drum heads to accommodate the specific requirements of each user. Rather, and as evidenced, for example, by the percussion synthesizer design depicted in FIG. 11 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,412, typically all four drum heads are fixedly and immovably encased in a single housing unit, and in such an arrangement it is a relatively simple matter to properly support the drum heads.
In this regard, electronic drum heads typically comprise a striking surface in contact with one or more piezoelectric transducers for converting mechanical movement of the striking surface to a proportional analog signal. Accordingly, it is important that the support structure for the drum head not unduly damp mechanical movement of the striking surface, as this would prevent the piezoelectric sensor from sensing a mechanical movement truly representative of the striking force. Furthermore, where all of the drum heads are interconnected by a mechanical structure, consideration should be given to "cross talk", i.e. mechanical vibration of one drum head being unintentionally transmitted to the others through the mechanical structure, which can cause the piezoelectric sensors for the other drum heads to produce unintended output signals. Also, in the case of toy electronic percussion synthesizers, it is important that the foregoing problems be resolved at minimal cost.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a novel structure for supporting the drum heads in an electronic percussion synthesizer assembly.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a structure for supporting the drum heads in an electronic percussion synthesizer assembly wherein the striking surfaces of the drum heads are free for undamped mechanical movement.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide an electronic percussion synthesizer assembly wherein cross talk among the drum heads is reduced.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an electronic percussion synthesizer assembly which achieves the foregoing objectives at a minimal cost.